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avenir: 4 of 20

Avenir was designed by Adrian Frutiger and issued by Linotype in 1988. Clean as they come; based on Erbar and Futura. Sebastian Carter describes it as "oddly restrained" – not as restrained, in my opinion, as Univers or the face that carries the designer's name. See Hunziker's article in Serif 6 (Spring 1998, pp 32–43).
30-June 2002

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orthogonal plane

Have you purchased your very own copy of Gudrun Zapf von Hesse: Bindings, Handwritten Books, Typefaces, Examples of Lettering, and Drawings? Yes? Then perhaps you are as awestruck as I am; much more than the wife of Hermann Zapf, much more than a typographer, Gudrun Zapf von Hesse is the consummate book artist, and you – proud owner – know that this retrospective provides ample evidence, and that you needn't read on.

No? Oh dear... Here you are, then. Skip the restaurant this week and hand over the $75 – you will not be sorry.

Nearly half of the 220-page review is devoted to Zapf von Hesse's bookbindings; of particular beauty are (1) her edition of Goethe's Faust, in which interrupted rules tooled in gold work to mesmerizing effect, and (2) Das Blumen ABC, by Hermann Zapf, wherein ornamental stamps crafted by Zapf von Hesse convey august serenity.

Zapf von Hesse's mastery of Carolingian, Civilite, Cursive, Roman, and Uncial script styles is displayed over 30 pages; the 60+ pages that follow show some of her typefaces – with particular emphasis on Diotima, Hallmark Shakespeare, and Bitstream Carmina – as well as samples of her hand lettering. While the former are indeed impressive, the latter are stunning: The alphabet and quotations plate shown on the website and found on p 193 is just one of many of her breathtaking watercolor and ink creations. And the final 15 pages treat the reader to examples of Zapf von Hesse's drawings and paintings, which range from simple, monochromatic geometric shapes, to landscapes in pastel, to flowers in vivid color.

The volume was designed by Zapf von Hesse and was set in Nofret by Hermann Zapf. There is little text outside of an eight-page introduction by Hans A. Halbey. But of course, this is work that speaks for itself and stands on its own; let the commentary, critique, and explanation wait for another time, another place.
29-June 2002

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bit confused...

...I am, about just what the designers at Smithsonian have been thinking lately. A beautiful, informative, and important American monthly has become muddled in typographic experimentation. Formerly eschewing all faces but PMN Caecilia and FB Village (an unintuitive, albeit harmonious, marriage), the magazine floated Helvetica (mon Dieux!) over a downright cute cover shot last October, making me wonder momentarily if I hadn't received my neighbor's issue of Parenting.

Since then, however intact the marriage has remained, FB Village has been stretched and compressed nearly beyond recognition (for example, see cover, March 2002, and article "Kung Fu U.," May 2002), and yet another face has been introduced – FB Relay, by Cyrus Highsmith – which is sprinkled on the cover for May and used in titling as well for July.

One of two "American" typefaces released in recent days (the other being Tobias Frere-Jones's Gotham), Relay is offered in Regular and Italic in five weights and four widths. It will make you think of Gill Sans, Metro, Nobel, and perhaps even Tempo and Arta. Yet it is distinct, and the flexibility of the series, along with its pedigree, should ensure wide use.

Just don't tease me with it, Smithsonian. Don't make me ask, every few months, "Who are you now?" Divorce Caecilia from Village, and introduce Relay. Use it generously and decisively, and for keeps.
28-June 2002

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ehrhardt: 3 of 20

Ehrhardt was produced by the Monotype staff, 1937–1938. Adapted from the designs of Kis, and named for the Ehrhardt foundry in Leipzig. Gets short shrift in contemporary literature on typography, but sees deservedly frequent use. See Harry Carter's article in the Appendix of A Tally of Types; see also D.B. Updike's Printing Types: Their History, Forms, and Use, vol 2, pp 43 and 45 for Ehrhardt foundry specimens c. 1739.
23-June 2002

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pastonchi: 2 of 20

Designed in 1927 by the Italian poet and author, Francesco Pastonchi, and digitized by Monotype in 1997. Fuller description in Serif 5 (Fall 1997). Pastonchi is pretty and ornate; check out the ff ligature in the roman. Potential for many uses in titling and text; a PhD thesis, however, is probably not one of them.
21-June 2002

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dtl love/hate

Seen this? It's the news page at the Dutch Type Library, and every once in a while, it gets an update. This time around, we have a nice specimen book of DTL Paradox, by Gerard Unger, and a presentation showing off a forthcoming typeface called DTL Prokyon, by Erhard Kaiser – the designer of DTL Fleischmann.

We've admired Paradox for some time now; what's not to like? And according to Mr Blokland, it should be coming out next year in an OpenType version; we may finally get ff, ffi, and ffl. But save room in the drool bucket for Prokyon – this sure ain't Fleischmann! Rather, an adventurous sans-serif that serves purposes of titling and text very well. Download the show and see. Four weights in roman, italic, and small caps; text, lining, and hybrid figures; a wider range of accented characters than is usually included. And check out the philosophy behind the lower case, roman g: roman and "italic" forms are compared; in the case of the former, "...diese g-Form wurde vom Designer verworfen..."

But what will this novel sans-serif cost us? Right – US $100. That's per style per weight, folks. Mr Bringhurst tells us that "commerce knows no conscience," and he does so in the case of mis-labeling typefaces. But what about charging too much for them – I wonder what Bringhurst thinks about this, and I wonder what, exactly, is Mr Blokland's philosophy here? I'd love to buy Caspari, Dorian, Paradox, and the forthcoming Prokyon as much as anyone, but I simply cannot afford them. What's more, compare the prices of DTL Albertina to MT Albertina... Of DTL Haarlemmer to MT Haarlemmer. Same cuts, big difference in price. I think it simply comes down to a mix of arrogance and ignorance – in any case, a bad business model. (I work at Great Big American Company, so I know all about business models.) Honestly, for every person who will buy a weight and style of Prokyon at $100 a crack, there are 20 more who would cave at $40. So, what'll it be, Mr Blokland, $100 or $800. Think about it – you could have your conscience and your commerce...
20-June 2002

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twenty more...

angie: 1 of 20

FF Angie is an early, humanistic face by Jean-Francois Porchez. Winner of the Brattinga prize at the 1990 Morisawa Awards. Compare to Angie Sans, available through Porchez's site. For more information, see designer's article in Serif 6 (Spring 1998, pp 24–31) and the information page at FontFont.
19-June 2002